Faber-Castell is said to be Germany's oldest industrial company. It began as a carpenter's workshop, founded by Kasper Faber in Stein, near Nuremberg in 1761. Today Faber-Castell is still owned and managed by the same family, now in its 8th generation since the founder.

Faber-Castell is one of the best known companies in Germany, where every child grows up learning to write with Faber-Castell pencils and pens. But the company has an international reputation for its fine artist materials, especially its colored pencils and pastels. Dick Blick makes these acclaimed products available in America.

In ecologically sensitive Germany, there is a heightened consumer awareness of the environment, and German companies are held to account for their environmental record. All products of the Faber-Castell group are manufactured using environmentally safe, high-quality materials and low-pollution processes.

For example, the company uses only wood from its own reforestation and soil conservation project in Brazil to manufacture pencils. The company grows its own trees on land that was once denuded and deforested, subject to soil erosion. Faber-Castell even recycles the waste products from manufacturing pencils to increase the fertility of the soil.

Videos

Albrecht Dürer pencils contain the highest quality pigments for unsurpassed lightfastness. Color laydown is buttery smooth, and blending is effortless when wet. Color effects become permanent when dry. Pencils are manufactured with extra-thick3.8 mm leads that are break-resistant and fully water soluble. These leads provide sharp, fine lines and superior point retention.

Pigmented India Ink in multiple nib sizes and 48 colors brings great versatility to pen-and-ink drawings requiring lots of intricate details. Pitt Artist Pens are great for sketching, journaling, cartooning, and drawing. The Superfine, Fine, Medium, and Brush nibs not only replace ink bottles — they're instantly available for work. The ink is waterproof, unsurpassably lightfast, acid-free, and pH-neutral. The nib size is prominently displayed on the end of the cap.

Faber-Castell's Pitt Pastel Pencils are very suitable for lines, shading, and delicate color transitions, and also for extended areas. Use them for sketches, studies, portraits, still-lifes, and landscape drawings. They give a smooth flow of color without being used up too rapidly. Colors are lightfast and rich in pigment, allowing dense shading.

Polychromos colored pencils are part of a unique color-matching system that
defines Faber-Castell Art and Graphic Products. Barrels are premium California cedar
wood and the 3.8 mm leads are break-resistant, water-resistant, smudgeproof, and
provide permanent rich color. The binder is oil-based, not waxy. Each pencil features
the highest quality pigments for unsurpassed resistance to fading. Color lays down smooth and is
easily blended for layered effects, highlights and transitions.